To You for Baritone, Tenor Saxophone and piano is dedicated to the American Baritone Kurt Ollmann, who has done
much for the promotion and performance of American music both in the United States and abroad.
Whitman´s poem speaks of seeing a stranger and feeling love for this person. In contrast to Poe´s To Helen, which
treats a similar subject of a chance meeting of a stranger that the poet loves, Whitman does not idealize his subject
but rather pointedly and brutally describes how he sees this person and what feelings (both negative and positive) this
contemplation provokes in the poet´s mind In order to reflect this musically, there is an alternation between more introspective
and brooding sections which are then followed by more ecstatic outbursts. The piece ends with the poet watching
the stranger leave, expressing what the composer felt to be acceptance and release.
As in any chamber music with voice, it is important that the two instruments allow the voice to predominate, regardless
of the dynamics marked in their parts. The saxophonist should try as much as possible to "match colour" with the voice,
in order to allow the contrapuntal exchanges between the voice and the saxophone to blend evenly. The pianist should
play the passages at rehearsal marks E, G and K in a more soloist manner, always taking care not to cover the voice..